Home Biomarkers Malaria (VIVAX)

Malaria (VIVAX)

Malaria Biomarker

Sample Needed

Collection Type: Blood

Body System

Related System: Malaria

Overview

Malaria (VIVAX) is a laboratory test that detects infection with Plasmodium vivax, a species of malaria parasite that infects red blood cells and can form dormant liver stages (hypnozoites) causing relapses. The test may detect parasites directly (microscopy, antigen-based rapid diagnostic tests, or PCR) or detect specific parasite nucleic acid/protein. It is ordered when patients have fever, chills, sweats, headache, myalgia, malaise, anemia or splenomegaly, or after travel to endemic areas. Results vary with age, pregnancy and immunity: children, pregnant women and non-immune travelers often have more symptomatic disease at lower parasite densities; semi-immune individuals may have low-level or asymptomatic parasitemia detectable only by PCR.

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Test Preparation

No special preparation is required

Why Do I Need This Test

Which profile: Included in the Malaria profile.
Symptoms prompting test: Fever with chills/sweats, headache, malaise, anemia, splenomegaly, or recent travel to endemic regions.
Conditions diagnosed/monitored: Active P.
vivax malaria, relapse monitoring, treatment response.
Reasons for abnormal (positive) result: Active blood-stage infection, recent infection, or relapse from liver hypnozoites.
Biological meaning of abnormal values: Presence of parasites indicates ongoing red‑cell infection; higher parasite counts reflect greater disease burden.
Behaviors/lifestyle causing abnormal values: Travel to endemic areas, lack of mosquito bite prevention, incomplete antimalarial therapy.
Family history: Travel or household exposure history increases pretest probability; no inherited pattern but G6PD status is relevant before radical cure.

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Understanding Test Results

A result of 0 parasites/µL or Negative indicates no detectable P.
vivax parasitemia by the method used.
Low parasitemia (~1–100 parasites/µL) may be symptomatic in non‑immune patients or asymptomatic in semi‑immune persons and can be missed by microscopy/RDT but detected by PCR.
Moderate parasitemia (≈100–10,000 parasites/µL) usually produces clinical illness requiring treatment.
High parasitemia (>10,000 parasites/µL) indicates heavy infection and greater risk of complications; hyperparasitemia (>100,000 parasites/µL) is an emergency (more typical with P.
falciparum but severe vivax disease can occur at lower counts).
False negatives occur early in infection, with low parasite density, prior treatment, or improper sampling; positive antibody tests suggest recent or past exposure rather than necessarily active blood-stage infection.

Normal Range

0 parasites/µL OR Negative

FAQs

Q: What is malaria vivax caused by?

A: Malaria vivax is caused by the protozoan parasite Plasmodium vivax, transmitted to humans by bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. The parasite infects the liver and red blood cells and can form dormant liver stages (hypnozoites) that cause relapses weeks to months later. Symptoms include recurrent fevers, chills, headache and anemia; diagnosis requires blood tests and treatment targets both blood and liver stages.

Q: What is the best treatment for vivax malaria?

A: The best treatment for Plasmodium vivax combines blood‑stage therapy (chloroquine where susceptible; artemisinin‑based combination therapy in resistant areas) plus a hypnozoite‑killing course to prevent relapse—primaquine for 14 days or single‑dose tafenoquine. G6PD testing is mandatory before primaquine or tafenoquine to avoid hemolysis. Pregnant women, infants and severe cases need specialist management.

Q: What are the symptoms of vivax malaria?

A: Vivax malaria typically causes cyclical fever with chills and rigors, followed by sweating. Common symptoms include headache, muscle and joint aches, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Patients often develop anemia and an enlarged spleen; thrombocytopenia is common. P. vivax can cause relapses weeks to months later due to dormant liver stages, producing recurrent fever episodes.

Q: What is the difference between Plasmodium falciparum and vivax?

A: Plasmodium falciparum causes the most severe, often life‑threatening malaria with high parasitemia, red‑cell sequestration and risk of cerebral involvement; it infects erythrocytes of all ages. Plasmodium vivax usually causes milder illness but forms dormant liver hypnozoites that cause relapses, prefers reticulocytes (young RBCs) and produces lower parasitemia. Treatment and resistance patterns also differ.

Q: Is Plasmodium vivax serious?

A: Plasmodium vivax causes malaria that is often less immediately lethal than P. falciparum but can still be serious. It causes fever, anemia and can lead to severe complications, relapses from dormant liver forms (hypnozoites), and rare fatal outcomes, especially in young children, pregnant women or immunocompromised people. Prompt diagnosis, blood-stage treatment and anti-relapse therapy reduce risk and prevent complications.

Q: What are the 4 types of malaria?

A: Four main types of human malaria are caused by Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale and P. malariae. P. falciparum causes the most severe, life‑threatening infections. P. vivax and P. ovale can relapse because of dormant liver stages (hypnozoites). P. malariae typically causes lower‑grade, chronic infections that may persist if untreated.